


MIRAGE|ƎӘAЯIM

by blankz_filler



Category: Day6 (Band), SF9 (Band), Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Dark, Drama, Fanfiction, Fantasy, Gen, Thriller, Trauma, different POV, souls exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:09:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26811190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blankz_filler/pseuds/blankz_filler
Summary: "I don't think I'll like him", Seungmin thought to himself when he first met Hyunjin after hearing all sort of rumours about him."I will never be like him...", Hyunjin thought to himself when he first witnessed Seungmin's band live performance.*This is a fictional work, do not cross reference with actual people/idols, thank you*
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin
Kudos: 5





	1. POLAR|ЯA⅃Oꟼ

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short story consisting 4-5 chapters in total.

A boy with light brown, French crop haircut, was dressed in a seasoned blue jacket and jeans, with a pair of circular glasses sitting on his nose bridge. He entered the college for Nth time with light steps. He couldn't wait to meet up with his bandmates to perform at the pub tonight. 1 year ago when they were still freshmen, they had formed the band consisting of 4 members: the main vocalist, Seungmin, the vocalist/rapper, Young K, the keyboardist and synthesizer, Wonpil, and the guitarist, Sungjin. Now, they finally got an offer of a paid performance by Sona Pub. They have been busking during open day or other extracurricular activities in the college. They had little recognition due to other more popular mainstream clubs performance, such as the kpop club, b-boy club, anime club, etc. Their music band is leaning more towards the unconventional side, ballads, rock, R&B. They are a group of music lovers who want to experiment and try to produce music of all genres with a touch of their own colours. 

Seungmin carried his bag on his shoulder and passed through the long corridor to get to his class at the end of the floor. Just when he was about to enter his lecture hall, he was suddenly pushed and fell on the ground. He has bruised his hands as he supported himself in reflex when he fell unexpectedly. He was just about to curse at that person but swallowed all his curse when he saw the perpetrator's face.

His tall and slender figure was apparent even though he was in the oversize black hoodie and a tracksuit bottom, with long golden-blonde hair down to his shoulder. He has pale skin with red plump lips. Seungmin thought to himself, " _Gulp_ , _he's beautiful- Shit! What am I thinking? He's that jerk!"_ He shook his head and stood up, sweeping off the dust that had caught on his jeans when he fell. The boy just looked on as Seungmin picked up his bag on the floor and he just walked away with his gang without a word.

"Hey!", Seungmin angrily called out to the gang. They turned around and looked at Seungmin with annoyed expressions. This made Seungmin even more angry. He walked up straight to the person who had pushed him earlier and spoke in a loud voice, "You just walk away after pushing someone?" Everyone in the corridor turned in their direction and a crowd has gathered around them. The popular gang clearly did not like the attention gathered by Seungmin. 

Two of them squared up Seungmin, "Hey dude. It's an accident, kay? Do you have to make it such a big deal? Or do you just want some attention, huh?" One of them started to stab-pointing at Seungmin and insulted him, "Hey, I know that Hyunjin is famous, but you don't need to be such a loser to get his attention alright. Move on, kid." 

"Stop it. Let's not waste time over here." Hyunjin grabbed the girl's hand away from Seungmin and led his gang away from the mass.

There was whispering and hushing voice around them. It was clear that the crowd had begun their own speculations and was enjoying this dramatic scene in front of them. Seungmin felt wrongfully accused and did not back down from there as the gang turned to leave. "Is it that hard to apologise when you have accidentally pushed someone down? I guess with that silver spoon in your mouth, it'll be hard to get sincere words like a simple 'sorry' from it. Next time, at least watch where you're going." And he left for his class after yelling at him to his heart content.

"What a jerk!" One of the girl told Hyunjin.

"Nevermind him. He's prob one of those attention seeker. Let's go Jinnie." Another boy grabbed on Hyunjin's neck and pulled him away from the buzzing mass before the lecturer arrived to investigate on the crowd.

Seungmin found an empty seat and settled down before fishing out his notebook and pens for the lecture.

"Psst, Seungmin, what's up with being late to class? You're always early." Wonpil, a cheerful, bright boy with a curly dark hair had sneaked up to him from his back after kicking his chair to get his attention. Wonpil was his best friend and they have a same class for their course. 

"Sigh. I'll let you know latter."

The class was torturously long for Wonpil as he eagerly wait for Seungmin's explanation. As soon as the class ended, Wonpil slided down the seat next to Seungmin and cornered his friend, "So- what's this about? Did you get into a fight or something? Why are your hands bruised when you know we have a performance tonight?" He turned Seungmin's hands to see the bruises on his palms.

"I have no idea that you'll get bruises on your palms when you fight. Did you usually slaps people?"

"What the heck? Fine, make fun of me, you brat! So, what actually happened?"

"You know that popular gang of the college?"

"Oh, the one centering that rich, elite guy, right? What's his name again? Hyu-HyunGu? HyunDo? Hyu-"

"It's Hyunjin."

"Ah! That's the one. Wait, did they beat you up?"

"Sigh, no. Hyunjin accidentally pushed me on the floor, hence the bruises."

"You sound mad. Guess he never apologised."

"Ditto. I've never seen people this arrogant and self-centered before-"

"Damn, wait until we tell Young K and Sungjin. We'll avenge for you!"

Seungmin laughed at Wonpil's idea, "You know you might get silenced by their family. Every student from that gang are from privileged family. They're not to be messed around, that's why they just do whatever they want without caring about others."

"Hmph! Snobbish kids. I hope the college will expel them. Nobody likes them anyway. That's why they only stick to their own group. Without the gang, they have no one."  
Wonpil crossed his arms and leaned back.

Seungmin fell into his thought. _"Why do I feel bad for their pathetic life? Get a grip, Seungmin! They're living a luxurious life, kay. The least thing you need to worry about is their life!"_

"Hey, Seungmin!" Two young men showed up in front of them.

"Oh, Wonpil is here too?"  
The boy with red dyed hair and fair complexion spoke up.

"Of course I'm here for my class, AND I'm here to dig up some exclusive news from Seungmin. What brings you guys here?"  
Wonpil asked.

"Same motive as you."  
Chan replied him.

"We heard about the ruckus this morning. Heard that you had clashed with that notorious gang. You alright?"  
Felix asked Seungmin and handed over some bandaids when he saw his hands.

"Thanks."

"Wow, you guys caught news fast." Wonpil started to stuff his books down his bag. 

"It's all over the college now. Maybe if you would play less video games, you'll be hearing all those people rumouring. And what's with the books? It's not like you'll use them anyway."  
Chan teased the elder. 

"Yah, don't think you can talk down to me just because I have to repeat this year!"

"Chill guys. I'm hungry. Are you guys eating or wanna continue arguing over here?"  
Seungmin prepares to leave.

"Let's go!"

The four of them were queuing to order when they heard a commotion nearby. They turned to the direction of the noise and saw the gang walking to the cafeteria. 

"Damn, it's them. Do they have to carry the crowd everywhere?"  
Wonpil tsked.

"Well, they are pretty and handsome. That's why they got flocked by others."  
Chan explained as the others glared at him.  
"What? That's a fact, alright. But unfortunately, they have nasty temper."

The gang seated in the center of the cafeteria with a crowd fangirling/fanboying around them.

"I never get how they can eat under those drooling stares. I'd choke for sure."  
Wonpil whispered to the group.

"Let's just get our meals and leave."  
Seungmin moved to the counter to order. He was the first to order and picked up his meal to find a seat.

"Erm, hey."

Seungmin was shocked to see Hyunjin standing in front of him after he got his food tray and sat at a corner far away from the crowd.  
"Erm, hi?"

"Can I sit here for awhile?"  
Hyunjin asked.

"Huh? S-sure?"

Hyunjin sat down right away. There were stares from time to time and Seungmin was very uncomfortable with that. But he can't just ask Hyunjin to leave without creating another dramatic scene. He spotted that his friends had ditched him for another table after seeing Hyunjin sitting in front of him. They gestured the "cheer up" motion to him and he laughed to himself, " _Hah, friends..."_

"Erm, I just wanna say that I'm sorry." Hyunjin spoke softly with his head bowed down as he scratched his head nervously.

Seungmin had never seen this side of him and was caught off guard by his sudden apology, "What?"

"I accidentally pushed you this morning.. never got a chance to apologise properly... sorry." He shifted uneasily in the seat as Seungmin remained quiet. "I- we're goofing around this morning and I didn't saw you. Sorry." He suddenly stood up and left the table before Seungmin can respond. Hyunjin had walked back to his gang.

His friends dashed to Seungmin's table.  
"So? What did he wants?" Wonpil asked.

"He apologised."

"Yea, I knew it he's a brat- wait. H-he apologised?!"

Seungmin nodded at Wonpil. "Yeah. Weird, isn't it?"

"Well, maybe he isn't as bad as you guys had thought?"  
Chan said with Felix nodding in agreement. 

"Maybe, whatever. I need to practise before the live tonight."  
Seungmin said before gobbling down the lunch.

"It's 9pm right?"  
Chan was going to watch their live performance tonight together with Felix.

"Yeah, at Sona Pub. Make sure to hangout after our performance. If you dare to dash before that," Wonpil made a threatening-cheeky expression at Chan and Felix.

"Of course, we need to celebrate with your first pay, right?" Chan was grinning from ear to ear.

"See you guys later. Let's go Wonpil. Young K and Sungjin are waiting for us in the practice room." Seungmin took his bag and waved at Chan and Felix.

Click! 

Wonpil and Seungmin walked into the practice room hurriedly as they were late while their bandmates looked up from their instruments. 

"Do you know what time it is?" Young K questioned them. Both of them straight away stood still, heads down with both hands holding in front in the "apologetic" position.   
"I have even set up your keyboard in the practice room."

"Sorry bro. We won't do it again. Thanks for the set up." Wonpil apologised.

"Sorry, hyung." Seungmin couldn't lift his head, knowing that tonight's performance is important and it is like their debut.

"Let's practice first, we'll decide on your punishment later." Young K walked to the mic and started warming up his throat.

Seungmin and Wonpil waste no time and rushed to their positions. Sungjin smiled at them before winking and eyeing at Young K, hinting them that Young K was just goofing around with them. And the three ended up bursting into laughter.

"Alright, since you guys are warmed up now. Let's start practising." Young K did the countdown and the room was soon filled with music and passion.

At Sona pub...

"Hyunnie~ Are you sure that you wanna serve the table today?" Kang Mina is the manager of the pub. She was arranging the jobs of the staff for tonight. She was elegant with her short curled hair and sharp-piercing cat eyes.

"Yeah, why not? Since the boss has specially requested for me to do so-"

"Hyunjin, you do know the boss's intention to use you to the max just to get the customers coming, don't you?" Mina crossed her arms.

"Mina, I know you care for me but I don't want to get you in trouble. I'm already really grateful for you to get this job for me. My identity wouldn't be exposed, and at the same time, I get to meet kind people like you guys." Hyunjin gave Mina his best grin.

6 months ago, Mina found Hyunjin unconscious outside the pub's backdoor when they're closing down the pub for the day. He called the bartender and the waitress who were on duty of closing the pub that day, Chani and Minju, to help her to carry Hyunjin into the pub. 

Chani is a very cold guy, who was sceptical at that time about helping the unconscious Hyunjin. He mentioned that they might get into trouble for getting involved with a rich fellow like Hyunjin. Hyunjin was wearing an expensive suit with a branded watch. And they tried to identify him when they only able to find a black, unlimited credit card on him. 

Minju was a timid young lady who sided with Mina that they shouldn't leave an unconscious man outside, especially one that handsome could have resulted in trouble. They finally agreed to help Hyunjin. They put him on the sofabed at their staff room when Mina saw a bruise on Hyunjin's collarbone. Minju left early as her boyfriend had came to pick her up. Chani then unbutton Hyunjin's top and they were shocked with what they saw. Countless of bruises and burnt marks filled the boy's torso. They couldn't believe such thing can happen to a boy of this status. They decided to bring him back to Chani's house as he was living alone.

When Hyunjin woke up, Chani told him how they had found him and had treated to his wounds. Hyunjin freaked out at first but Chani calmed him down by promising him that they wouldn't tell anyone about it. Later in the evening, Mina and Minju visited Chani and Mina asked Hyunjin if he needed help. Hyunjin refused at first but when he heard that they were going for their shifts, he asked for a part time job at the pub, which made the trio shocked at his request. 

Nevertheless, Mina agreed to help him and now, the four of them were very close to each other like real siblings. But Mina and Chani care a lot about Hyunjin and both of them have a soft spot for him as they know what Hyunjin has endured all these years.

"Don't worry, noona. I'll be on the floor as well. I'll look after our Hyunjinnie." Minju showed up in her uniform. 

"Here's your mask. Remember, never engage with any customer no matter how much they're interested in you." Chani handed Minju and Hyunjin's masks to them. 

The pub is very popular since they have the mysterious vibe, i.e. the staffs wear masks covering the upper half of their face and use alias so that none of them are identifiable. Hyunjin was a special case where only the trio knew about his true identity and Mina told the staff not to pry on his personal information if they wanna keep their jobs. Another factor of their popularity is their drinks are top notch. 

"Alright guys, today we'll be having live bands performance. 3 bands in total. Make sure they get their complimentary drinks after their performance. And 5% discount for their bills." Mina told all the staff who're working tonight.

"Yes, manager Kang."

The pub slowly got flooded with patrons. The staff got really busy that Hyunjin had no time to enjoy the live performance. Wonpil and Sungjin started playing on their instruments while Young K and Seungmin harmonised and sang to their heart contents. The crowd was hyped with some of them singing along with the band while some waving their arms in rhythm. 

Finally, the crowd got smaller after 12am. The staff started to do the cleaning bit by bit. Chani called Hyunjin over to the bar.

"Yes?" Hyunjin arrived with a serving tray on his right hand.

"You can make some drinks tonight. These are the leftover." Chani gestured at the ingredients on the benchtop. There were lime, lemons, salt, olives, rosemary, etc. Hyunjin has been enjoying making and mixing drinks, experimenting on his own. Sometimes, he made really nice drink which ended up being proposed by Mina to be included in the menu.

"Wow, do you want one?" Hyunjin asked Chani.

"Nah, I still need to wash up the glasses. I'll leave the ice here. Make sure to put them back in the storage when you're done."

"Got it." 

Hyunjin started to mix in some cordial and some of the ingredients on the table. He saw a small brown fruit among the olives which he did not recognise. He picked it up to ask Chani about it but he was busy talking with a patron. He reasoned that it must be edible or else it wouldn't be sitting among the olives. He smell at the fruit. It has a faint sweet scent, with a hint of sourness. He decided to use it, in hope that he'll make another amazing drink. He cut the fruit in half and the flesh was in soft lilac. He was amazed by the colour gradient, thinking that how beautiful will the drink looks like with that colour. After squeezing out the juice, he scrapped the pulps with a teaspoon and stirred them into the drink. 

He looked at his final product with a satisfied smile. Suddenly the drink was picked up and he looked up in shock to find Seungmin there holding his experimental drink. Before he can say anything, Seungmin had gulped down half of the drink...

"Ahh, I'm so thirsty. What's this drink by the way? It taste pretty good although it's a little weird in the end." Seungmin said before sipping for another taste. "Yep, definitely weird at the end." He put down the drink and asked for a Bacardi and coke, and a mojito. 

Hyunjin quickly made his drinks and handed over to him before Seungmin thanked him and left without recognising him. He then picked up his invention and had a sip. _"Seungmin was fine after drinking it. Should be safe to drink, I guess. Hmm, it has a sweet, smooth taste. But what's the weird taste at the end?"_ He kept on sipping to figure out the taste but he couldn't get it until he had finished the whole drink. 

He was cleaning up the benchtop when an old lady stood in front of him.   
"Hey young lad, did you see a small brown seed, it looks like a fig, like this", the lady showed the seed picture on her phone when Hyunjin was shocked to find it similar to the one he had just used up to make the drink.

"Erm, I think I have accidentally used it to make a drink-"

"What! Omg! I'm going to get punished. Damn! Where's the drink?"

"Err, it's gone-"

"Oh no, oh no." The lady stumbled backwards and Hyunjin rushed out to hold her.

"Madam, can you tell me what exactly is that and why is it that bad to be consumed?" Hyunjin asked.

"Child, do you believe in fairy?"

Hyunjin looked at her dumbfounded. 

"See, you wouldn't believe me even if I tell you that the fruit can cause souls exchange."

Hyunjin's eyes widen, "W-what? Souls exchange?"

"Yes, if two people consumed a single fruit, they'll exchange their souls from their original body for a day."

"Y-you must be kidding me!"

"But since you said it's a drink, I suppose only a single person had consumed it, thus there should be no effect. I'll report the missing seed to my superior. See ya, child. Next time, do not simply use any foreign ingredients in your drinks."

As the lady left, Hyunjin felt weak in his knees. Chani saw that and supported him to a seat.

"Hey, are you alright? Do you need an early leave? I can inform the manager."

"No, I'm not ok."

"OK. Stay here, I'll find Mina" Chani whispered to him before heading for Mina.

Hyunjin kept on repeating the warning of that lady in his head and he thought to himself, _"She must be joking, right? When the hell did we have this kind of stuff."_

He left the pub early and went back to his room. 

Knock! Knock!

"Come in!"

His best friend, Jinyoung has allowed him to camp at his apartment as he is usually out to practice with his band, Got7. Jin Young placed a glass of warm water beside Hyunjin and said, "Hey, are you alright? You've been looking pale since earlier. Is everything ok at work?"

Hyunjin sat up from his bed. "Thanks, Hyung. I'm fine, really."

His friend still looked worried about him before breaking the worst news to Hyunjin.   
"Hyunnie, your mother visited earlier when you're out."

"What-"

"I didn't tell her about your work. But, she asked you to attend your brother's birthday on tomorrow."

"Stepbrother."

"Sorry, yeah. Your stepbrother's birthday."

Hyunjin was quiet for awhile when Jinyoung patted him on the shoulder and wished him with sweet dreams before leaving the room. Hyunjin lied back on his bed and pulled the blanket over his head. A faint sobbing can be heard from under the blanket.

Back at the pub...

"Woo-hoo. They're paying with their first income!" Chan cheered for the band.

"Just grab whatever you want. Should we go to my place for pork and soju later?" Wonpil offered.

"Wow, that's rare. Of course we should go!" Sungjin and Young K were in the mood to stay up the night.

"Urgh, you guys go ahead. I think Imma head back and rest." Seungmin packed up his stuff and ready to leave.

"Oh, you need to check on your brother tonight, huh." Felix asked.

Seungmin noded at him before bidding goodbye to all his friends.  
 _"Urgh, did I eat something bad? I've been feeling weird and tired. I think it'll pass in the next day."_ As soon as he stepped out from the pub, he felt the weird body response within him. Still, he managed to take the bus back to his home.

"Hyung."

"Oh, Jeongin ah. Why are you still awake? You should be sleeping at this time." Seungmin removed his shoes and followed Jeongin into the living hall. 

"I just wanna wait for you. Aunt Shin Young had brought some Kimchi for us. Are you hungry, do you want ramen?" Jeongin asked Seungmin.

"No, it's alright. I had late supper with the others just now."

"Oh. Then, go and wash up. Rest early, you must be exhausted." Jeongin urged his brother to sleep.

"Okay, okay. You too, alright. Go. Sleep. Kiddo." Jeongin laughed at his brother's tone. "Hey, I got my first pay for performing today. Let's eat something nice tomorrow, kay?"

"With aunt Shin Young and Nichkhun hyung?", Jeongin asked excitedly.

"Yeah, let's eat with them."

Jeongin nodded and wished his brother sweet dreams before heading back to his bedroom. Seungmin looked at his brother's closed door and let out a soft sigh. He then proceed to bath.

At a faraway land...

"If anything happens, you're responsible for it, Jong Ah."

"Yes, I know. There shouldn't be any since it was consumed by just a single person-"

"Are you 100% sure?"

"I- no. I'll keep an eye on that child."

"You had better. Take this potion with you in case you need to remove the seed's effect instantly."

"Yes, master. I will take my leave now." The old lady took the potion with her.

TBC...


	2. FREED|ꓷƎƎЯꟻ

Hyunjin woke up feeling crap. _"Urgh, I must have fallen asleep while crying last night...huh?"_

He blinked a few times but the foreign ceiling is still right in front of him no matter how many times he had blinked. He sat up and looked around at the unfamiliar surrounding. He couldn't find the usual full length mirror in his room. The salt lamp beside his table was now replaced by a twin bell alarm clock. The bed felt different and the room looked different. Most importantly, his vision was blurred. He rubbed his eyes a few times but his blurry vision remained. As he was about to leave the bed, his hand touched a pair of spectacles that was sitting on the bedside table. He picked it up in confusion, but he suddenly realised what was going on when he put on the glasses. His vision was clear now, and he knew that he was in someone else's body. That person who had drank from the very same glass with him yesterday, Kim Seungmin. The old lady's words were true after all, their souls were being exchanged right now.

He quickly searched for Seungmin's phone but he couldn't find it anywhere in the room. He opened the door and entered the living room. The room looked even weirder. All the tables have short legs, including all the chairs. He saw their kitchen were having low height benchtop and sinks as well. _"Are they having small kids in this house? But a house with furniture like this will only exist in dwarfs land?"_ , Hyunjin thought to himself.

He saw the phone laying on the dining table. He picked it up and luckily it wasn't locked and it was fully charged. He hurriedly call his own phone a few times but it went to voicemail instead. He instantly start texting to his own phone.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 **xxxx-xxx-896**

Hey u awake? 

Dun freak out 

Im Hyunjin 

Call me whn u read tis 

_Sent 9:22am_

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hyunjin waited for awhile but there was no reply. He looked around the house and found the bathroom. The mirror was located at his waist level, just above the lower than average basin. He half squatted to see his reflection in the mirror. _"Ah, this is really not a dream. I'm really in Seungmin's body..."_

He was pinching himself when he heard someone else's voice from outside.

"Hyung? You woke up early today although it's weekend."

He turned around to see a young boy on a wheelchair. Now everything in the house makes sense. It was designed for the convenience of this young boy. 

"Hyung?"

Hyunjin was stoned with this sudden encounter. _"Hyung? Is this his younger brother?"_ He thought to himself.  
"Oh, hi."

Jeongin looked at him from top to bottom before questioning, "Hyung, are you alright? You're acting weird today."

"Er...I-I must have a hangover." Hyunjin stammered.

"Oh, should I cooked the hangover soup for you?"

"Huh, no!"

Jeongin was shocked at Hyunjin's intense refusal. Hyunjin saw that and panicked.

"Erm, I mean. We can just call for delivery. Are you hungry?"

Jeongin looked at his brother. He found his brother super weird today but this person in front of him looked exactly like his brother.  
"Since when did you favour outside food? You always told me it's no good for us and you always want to cook instead."

Hyunjin's gaze suddenly fell to Jeongin's legs. _"Is it because his brother might have a weak body? That's why he cook? Do I need to cook for him?_ " Hyunjin thought.

"Erm. Sorry, I must have not woke up completely. Let's cook." Hyunjin walked out of the bathroom and Jeongin was following behind him into the kitchen.

Hyunjin stood still in the middle of the kitchen and scanned the ingredients around him. There were fruits, onions, tomatoes on the kitchen benchtop. He thought he could maybe fry some eggs and make a fruit salad. He squatted down to open the fridge to look for some eggs. There were milk, cheese, a few containers full of kimchi, and a heap of containers with different side dishes and meat dishes.

"Wow, how did he-we ended up with this much leftovers?" Hyunjin asked as he was admiring the fridge's content. Everything was clearly homemade. 

"Huh? What do you mean? They are all from aunt Shin Young. Have you lost your memory today, hyung?"

Hyunjin froze at his words. "H-haha. I think I might have drank too much yesterday."

"Hyung, you really shouldn't be drinking that much. You said it was bad for our health."

Hyunjin recalled yesterday's scene when Seungmin was drinking with his friends at the pub. " _Oh yeah, I think he do love drinking. I wonder if he bans his brother from drinking for the sake of his health."_

"Hmm, you're right." Hyunjin gave his brother a smile. "Shall we eat some of those then?" He pointed to the fridge and Jeongin nodded happily.   
_"Sorry, Seungmin. But the least I can do is to feed your brother before leaving the house._ "

Hyunjin took out the beef bulgogi, kimchi and a container of soup from the fridge. He was looking around for a pot to heat up the dishes when Jeongin opened a cabinet and passed the pot to him.

"Hyung, has you forgotten where you used to put the stuff? Why are you so lost this morning?" Jeongin had a concerned expression on him.

"Ah, thank you. Can you help me to set- uh, nevermind."

"I can set the table if you want."

"Really? That'll be great. Thank you."

He peeked at where Jeongin had retrieved the cutlery and proceed to take a ladle from the drawer to transfer the dishes to the pots. 

He turned on the gas stove and proceed to cut up the fermented kimchi onto a plate. He was placing the plate of kimchi on the dining table when he saw a picture sitting at the end of the table. He didn't noticed it when he picked up the phone earlier. The photo showed a family of four with young Seungmin and his brother, along with another older couple, which he assumed they are their parents. But in the photo, his brother was standing. He thought that there might be an accident that had resulted in his brother in a wheelchair now. 

"Hyung-"

... ...

Hyunjin didn't heard him and walked to the living room. He saw a cupboard with glass panels. It was filled with multiple trophies and certificates. As he got closer, he read at those awards. Some were for music producing contests, some were for singing competition. There were all for Seungmin. And then there were a few from junior tennis tournaments, and the receiver's name was "Kim Jeongin". 

" _Ah, that's how it is._ " Hyunjin was thinking about the two brothers' hardship when he heard Jeongin yelling.

"Yah, hyung! The food is boiling over the stove!" Jeongin turned off the stove in a hurry. Hyunjin rushed to his side and checked on him.

"Are you hurt? You shouldn't be this close to the stove. What if you're hurt!"  
Hyunjin shouted.

Jeongin looked at him in disbelief. "What are you doing then? I called you so many times but you didn't respond. Should I let it keeps on boiling?"

"D-did you call me?"

"Hyung, seriously, what's wrong with you today?"

Hyunjin's gaze unintentionally dropped at Jeongin's legs and Jeongin saw that. "I-I'm sorry. I thought you might get hurt." Hyunjin will feel extremely guilty if Jeongin was hurt when Seungmin wasn't here. 

"Stop over worrying! I couldn't walk but that doesn't mean I wasn't ABLE to do anything else without hurting myself!" Jeongin pushed himself out of the kitchen and turned his head around, "I think the one you should be worrying more is yourself, hyung."  
And he left to his room before closing the door shut.

 _"Sigh, I have messed up big time."_ Hyunjin was about to knocked on Jeongin's door when there was knocking from the front door. _"Guest? What should I do? What if I don't know any of them and acted strangely? Should I pretend that I'm not in?"_

Rrringg~ 

Seungmin's phone rang at that time. He facepalmed himself. He then proceed to answer the call with the caller ID "Aunt Shin Young". 

"H-hello?"

"Yah! You finally pick up the phone. Open the door, faster! We have brought the food to your house. Faster, it's heavy."

"W-we?"

"You called us here yesterday. Have you forgotten about it? 'Please come over for lunch tomorrow since I got my first paycheck today' Enough of that. Open that damn door now, Seungmin!"

"O-ok!" Hyunjin run to open the door to see three people outside. The lady must be Aunt Shin Young. Beside her were two young men. One of them looked like a foreigner while the other looked familiar but he couldn't remember who he is. 

"Why are you just standing there? Take this in." The lady handed over the heavy basket she was holding to Hyunjin and entered the house with the other two.

The three men put down all the stuff on the dining table. 

"Yuck! Why do I smell burnt?" Shin Young covered her nose.

"Oh, sorry. The soup was boiled over just now." Hyunjin pointed to the kitchen.

"Gosh, you guys really can't do anything without me huh? Hey, this soup was from a week ago! Are you guys even eating well? I told you not to keep them, eat them!" Shin Young scolded Seungmin while she was smelling at the soup before pouring them to the food waste container as she decided that it had went bad.   
"You didn't keep it in the freezer, did you? If you're not eating it right away, it's best to keep them in the freezer!"

"Aigoo, aunt Shin Young, we haven't seen Seungmin for a long time. Give him a break and let us greet him properly." The man who looked like a foreigner said to the lady before giving a warm hug to Seungmin.

"This is why the two brothers are so spoiled because you're always being soft hearted to them, Nichkhun-ssi." Shin Young complained.

"Now, my turn. Seungmina~ Still remember me?" The other man extended his arms for a hug. Hyunjin was dumbfounded but he went for the hug anyway.

"Hey, you really can't remember me? It's me, Inseong ah! You have always seek for advice from me, remember? You even told me I'm your best senior..." Inseong acted to be disappointed.

"Ah, Inseong Sunbaenim..."

"Are you serious? We just met each other 2 weeks ago. And what's with the 'sunbaenim'? You have always called me bro."

"Haha" Hyunjin gave out a nervous laugh. He was already dizzy with all the new information.

"By the way, congratulation!" Inseong suddenly sang in high pitch. 

"Aunt Shin Young? Nichkhun and Inseong Hyung?" Jeongin heard the noise outside and came out to greet them.

"Oh, Jeongina~" Shin Young went for a hug and the other two went to greet him too. Hyunjin was standing there awkwardly as he didn't know how he should act to be like Seungmin.

"Hey, let's eat something nice. I have brought your fav, pork belly with mushrooms!" Shin Young exclaimed.

"Really?" Jeongin asked.

"Yea, and I have brought you fav drink, sikhye~" Nichkhun showed him the drinks.

"Wow, it must be a party!" Jeongin smiled happily.

"And I have brought myself here to enjoy!" Inseong was flapping his arms up and down. There was a complete silent for a moment before all of them were laughing to tears at Inseong.

"Seems like you guys haven't had your breakfast yet. Here, have some of the honey rice cakes that I have steamed this morning." Shin Young took out the rice cakes from her basket.  
"You guys should have checked the food. What if I wasn't here today? You'll have eaten spoiled food."

Jeongin gave Hyunjin a quick glance while Hyunjin looked at the floor, avoiding eyes contact. The three of them noticed the awkwardness between the brothers and they tried to liven the mood. 

"OK, now we should start preparing food for lunch. You two should eat some rice cakes first before helping out." Nichkhun ordered them.  
"Inseong is in charge of washing the vegetables and cutting them up, while Shin Young will be in charge of the meat and cooking as the main chef. I will be helping Inseong to prepare the ingredients. And you two will be in charge of setting up the table. We'll be having the best mille-feuille nabe."

The trio proceed to the kitchen to start preparing the ingredients for their lunch. While Jeongin wheeled himself to the dining table. Hyunjin immediately took the chopsticks and a plate for him. Jeongin glared at him but thanked him anyway. Hyunjin just stood there looking at Jeongin eating when Jeongin suddenly spoke,   
"Are you just gonna stand there and watch?"

"Hm?"

"If you're hungry, just sit and eat. I'm uncomfortable with you staring at me."

"So- Ehem." Hyunjin was about to apologise but stopped himself when he got a deadly glare from Jeongin. He sat in the opposite seat to Jeongin and put a rice cake in his mouth.

"I'm sorry."

Cough!

Hyunjin choked at Jeongin's sudden apology. "N-no. It's my fault in the first place. You did nothing wrong."

"Hyung. I'm sorry for yelling at you this morning. But I'm not sorry about what I said."

Hyunjin was silent. The trio couldn't hear them with the loud chopping and exhaust fan sounds. 

"I know you have been feeling guilty, and mostly sorry for me as I'm in this condition while you're freely pursuing your dream. I told you not to treat me like I needed help all the time. I'm 19 now! I've grown up. I can live on my own by doing the house chores by myself."

Jeongin stifled a sob and continued, "I hope that we can live just as we used to be. You living your life while me living my life. I need you as my hyung, not as a caretaker...I really hope that you'll understand how I actually feel. I hope that you can walk out from the past. Because the one who couldn't move on is not me, it's you, hyung."

Hyunjin didn't know how to react. He felt guilty of listening to this private conversation that was supposedly to stay in between Seungmin and Jeongin. But at the same time, he can truly understand how Jeongin must be feeling because he was in his position once before. _"Is it really possible to move on entirely from the past..._ ", He thought to himself.

"Hyung, no matter what happens, we're still brothers. But I really hope that you will start living your own life without worrying about the need to care for me. Even if I have to live alone in the future, I'll stand a better chance at surviving than you for being a worrywart. It's time to let go, hyung."  
Jeongin left the table and went to the kitchen to help.

Hyunjin was thinking about what Jeongin had just said. He didn't have younger siblings so he didn't know how he should act as an older brother. He never knew that Seungmin was being constantly worrying about his disabled little brother. When he first saw Seungmin performing live with his band in their college, he thought that Seungmin has all the freedom that he'll never get to pursue his own dream. They were performing with so much passion, smiling happily in satisfaction when the small crowd applauded at the end of their performance. He was jealous of Seungmin's freedom.

Now Hyunjin realised that every family is not that perfect as they were perceived from the eyes of the public. Every single person has their own problems. Just that, some are better at hiding their imperfection while some are willing to advertise their problems to the people surrounding them. But there will never be a perfect life. The results might be different depending on how we encounter these hurdles, it's not about the different amount of hurdles we have.

Jeongin then called him to bring the ingredients to the dining table to display the mille-feuille nabe. While Jeongin took 5 sets of cutlery for the table.

"Oh my, I have left the bones for the soup at home. Aigoo." Shin Young was sighing.

"Should I bring it here with Inseong?" Nichkhun offered.

"Huh, why me? Couldn't you bring it by yourself?" 

"Inseong, let's buy some dessert on our way back-"

"OK! You should have told me we're going for sweets haha!" Inseong love sweet pastries and all kind of dessert.

The two grab the keys from Shin Young and left the house. Shin Young was cutting up the remaining ingredients for the soup in the kitchen while Jeongin was setting up the table. Hyunjin started to ensemble the mille-feuille nabe in the hot pot on the table. 

"Jeongin-ah, I know I'm not in the position to say this but, I might never know how you feel if you didn't tell me explicitly. Although we're- close, sometimes, we can be clouded by our own perception. So, I'm sorry for not being able to move on. But I'll try to. Not just for your sake, but for myself too." He looked up from the pot to Jeongin and saw the brother was holding back his tears with a sincere smile. They both then do their chores quietly but they were smiling from ear to ear.

The two returned with the bones and 2 big bags of dessert. They got scolded by Shin Young for overspending on the dessert. Then they started their exclusive lunch.

"Wah, it looks nice. Let me take a picture of it!" Inseong fished out his phone and started taking multiple pictures from different angles.

"Sigh, you're gonna post on your social media again. When you're done, the food will-"

"Gone cold, right? But just as you know, we're having hotpot, it'll keep on boiling." Nichkhun was cut short by Inseong, who had a grin of victory on his face.

"Here, Jeongin. I have scooped your favourite mushroom for you."

"Thank you, aunt Shin Young."

"Hey, not fair! What about me?" 

"Just wait for your turn, Inseong."

Hyunjin was looking at this warm atmosphere. He had never experience a cozy meal with his family before. He was suddenly being reminded of his own life and checked the phone. There was still no reply or missed calls from Seungmin. Just as he thought of calling him, Shin Young passed a bowl to him.

"Seungmin-ah~ Eat a lot."

"Thank you, S-aunt Shin Young."

They finished the meal and cleaning everything up at around 5pm. They had enjoyed the lunch for 5 hours over some chat and games. Hyunjin had learnt a lot about the Seungmin's life and the people around him. He saw Seungmin in a new light now. And he now wondered if Seungmin was alright. He started to worry if Seungmin's soul was actually in his body or something had happened that has caused him being unable to contact him.

Jeongin excused himself as he needed to do his regular physio session which Nichkhun had gladly offered to help him as his assistant. Both of them went into the exercise room. Shin Young brought out the beers and dried squid to Hyunjin and Inseong who were at the outdoor patio.

"Oh-ho~ No wonder Nichkhun hyung offered to accompany Jeongin since the two don't drink." Inseong cooed.

The three of them were drinking quietly, savouring the long awaited beer taste.

"Seungmin." Shin Young suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?"

"I know that it's normal for brothers to argue from time to time. But you guys are a special case, where you don't really argue unless it's serious."

... ...

"I know you guys since you were babies. Your mum even requested me to be your godmother. I declined at first, because I was shy. But, when I finally accept the offer, I'd never have predicted that it must be on the day that I last saw your mother."

Shin Young took another sip, followed by the two. The atmosphere suddenly got heavy.

"Then I take care of you guys like my own children. And Nichkhun, your older cousin from your father's side is very fond of you guys too. He helped me out a lot when I first took over the child custody. We are always worry if we are doing the wrong thing, being an example of the typical bad parents."

She took another gulp of the beer before saying, "The most worrying thing for us is, if you guys will be uncomfortable with us taking care of you, playing the roles as your parents."

Hyunjin shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He couldn't say anything since he wasn't Seungmin. He doesn't has the right to take the words out of Seungmin's mouth. 

"But I'm glad that I followed Nichkhun's advice since the beginning. He told me not to act as your parents. But continue to be your aunt who will guide you guys and care about you guys just as I have always been to you. The difference is that we'll be spending more time with guys, filling up the time that you are supposedly be spending with your parents. And we will let you know that we're always here to support you guys whenever you need us. But we'll never tried to force our way in unless you reach out to us first."

She looked at Hyunjin and grab his hand, "I think it is the same for Jeongin. We usually have this instinct to protect whenever we saw someone in their most vulnerable state. But sometimes, we failed to see the actual scenario. Not everyone is vulnerable in the same situation. For Jeongin, although it was sudden, but he was ready to fight on a week after that incident. I think what he needed most is our support. What he needed least is our sympathy."

She then patted Hyunjin's hand, "Seungmin, I think you have yet to realise this. But I can see that the person who got affected the most by that incident is not Jeongin, but you."

Hyunjin had heard this the second time today. He felt for Seungmin and decided to keep these notes for Seungmin's reference later on. He patted back Shin Young's hand and nodded at her words.

"I also remember when I first met you back in high school. I asked you to join my band, remember?" Inseong asked.

Hyunjin looked at him in confusion while Inseong chuckled.

"You got the exact same look now as to when I asked you to join my band back then. You rejected me as you said you need to take care of your brother and practising will take up too much time. I didn't realised what you mean back then until I had first met Jeongin."

Inseong lost his smile and was serious this time.  
"Do you know what Jeongin had showed me when I visited you guys 2 weeks ago?"

Hyunjin shook his head.

"You were back late so you weren't aware of it. He showed me his application form to the Meonji College."

Shin Young and Hyunjin stared at him in shock but Inseong continued.

"He told me that he still wanna continue pursuing his dream, to be a sports counselor. But you had always pressured him not to live in the dorm as it'll be inconvenient for him. He was hesitating to apply for that college specialising in his course as it was far away from your house. He was holding back because of you."

"Inseong-" Shin Young tried to interfere but Inseong continued.

"I'm not trying to blame you, Seungmin. I'm saying this not as your senior, but as your friend. Please think again regarding who is actually the one being needed. Does Jeongin needs you, or are you the one who needs Jeongin? For him to move to the dorm in his college, will it be inconvenient for him, or you?"

Inseong opened another can of beer while Hyunjin fell into deep thoughts.

"Seungmin-ah~ You are a good brother. We all know that. But sometimes, being overprotective can be a false interpretation of kindness. It can be hurtful to the person at the receiving end..." Shin Young patted his back to console him.

"I know. Thank you for telling me." That was the only words Hyunjin could say.

The three went back to drinking quietly when they heard the sound of the opening door to the patio. 

"Hey, did you guys drink a lot? How're you gonna go back later?" Nichkhun asked.

"Well, we have you to drive us, isn't it? Or we can overnight here if you don't want to, hehe- hick!" Inseong teased while hiccuping. 

"Well, well. I think it's getting dark now. I'll drive you both back. Seungmin, you should head in too. It's getting cold. Jeongin was in the living room waiting for you."

"Ok, thanks for coming."

"Hey, you should buy us a meal next time. Today will be on me." Shin Young said before bidding farewell.

"Ok. Drive safe." Hyunjin collected the empty cans and packed up the food before moving in.

"Hey."

"Hey."

The two brothers greeted each other awkwardly. Hyunjin put the bag of empty cans beside the front door and joined Jeongin in the living room.

"Are you watching a movie?" Hyunjin asked.

"Yeah. Wanna join in?"

Hyunjin brought two blankets out and gave one to Jeongin. 

"I have always wanted to this, but didn't have time to."

"What do you mean, hyung? We always have our weekend movie night."

Hyunjin was flustered and hurriedly added on, "I mean the hangout with them."

"Oh, yeah. I enjoy their company too." There was an uncomfortable silent before Jeongin asked, "Do you have any other stuff that you wanna do together?"

Hyunjin thought for awhile before replying, "I ne-want, I want to visit the amusement park at least once- I-I mean at least once before university."

"Oh, that's nice. Then let's plan for a date to go together. It's been a long time since I went to an amusement park. The rides must be different from back then. They have more parks with special needs access now. Things are getting much better these days, don't you think?"

"Yeah, you're right."

"Should I look at the reviews and book? It will be quite pack during the holidays. Might as well book early."

Hyunjin suddenly sat up and turned to face Jeongin.  
"Jeongin-ah."

"Hm?"

"Thank you for today."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"For letting me know how you feel."

Jeongin looked at him in silent.

"You know, when you tell me to pursue my dream without over worrying about you just now?"

"Mh-hm?"

"I hope you can do the same."

Jeongin looked at him in disbelief. "W-what do you mean?"

"I'm just saying that if you have a dream to pursue, go ahead. Nothing should be holding you back now, right?" Hyunjin leaned back into the couch.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Then, I'm going to apply for the college. I'm serious."

Hyunjin sat back up and looked into Jeongin's eyes. "Jeongin, it's unfair for you if I was holding you back just as you think that you were holding me back. But in actuality, we both know that wasn't the case. So, it's time for you to decide on your own and FOR yourself."

"Thank you."

"No, I should be thanking you for making me realise this. So, we're good now?"

Jeongin nodded his head up and down, and tears of joy started flowing down on his cheeks. Hyunjin passed him the tissue box and teased him, "Should I take an ugly picture of you before you go to college?" 

"Kim Seungmin!" Jeongin threw a pillow at him. They both ended up laughing in tears. Hyunjin had never been this carefree before. He never knew that having a younger brother can be this fun. He wished he could stay longer.

Rringg~

"Hyung, it's your phone." 

Hyunjin saw the number was his home landline and he immediately sprung up from the floor to answer the call.

"H-hello?"

"H-hyunjin?"

It was Seungmin. Hyunjin turned to Jeongin and said, "It's important. I'll be in my room." He left the living room after Jeongin waved him away.

Click!

"Seungmin!?"

"Y-yeah, it's me. What the hell is going on? I couldn't use your phone!"

"Look, I don't have time to explain but we're in each other body, am I correct?"

"Y-yea, it's crazy, Hyunjin!"

"Shh, did something happened? Why are you only calling me now? Listen, my passcode is 3XXX6."

"Got it! I-I was pulled to a family meeting by a woman who claimed to be my mother when I just woke up. I was so confused. I didn't know who are they or what they're talking about. And then they let me come back to Jinyoung house to prepare for your bro's birthday! And I only managed to call my phone now!"

"Shit! I'd totally forgotten about that. Seungmin, listen carefully. STAY AWAY from my STEPbrother. You heard me?"

"Why? How do I know your- *Knock, knock* Oh, someone's here, gotta go! Call you later!"

"Seungmin!"

Hyunjin then heard the voice from the background from where Seungmin was before he was hung up by him. And he was frozen.

The voice: "Hey, Hyunjin. Did you miss me?"

He rushed out of the room with the Seungmin's phone and wallet. Jeongin got shocked.

"Hyung, where're you going this late? It's 6:45pm already!"

"Sorry, Jeongin. Urgent matters. I'll explain to you later! Don't wait for me tonight!" Hyunjin dashed out of the house after locking the door. He signaled a cab on the main road and said his house address. 

_"Please, please don't let me be late. He doesn't deserve to go through all that."_ Hyunjin prayed repeatedly in his heart while looking at the flashing view from the car's window.

TBC...


	3. CAGED|ꓷƎӘAƆ

Seungmin woke up by the sound of knocking.

"Hyunjin! Wake up! Your mum's here."

"Hmm? What mum?" Seungmin mumbled and went back to sleep.

Bang!

Suddenly, someone had barged into the room and the door to his bedroom was wide open.

"Er, Aunt, he was back late yes-"

"Wake up, Hyunjin!" Seungmin was aggressively shook by someone. And his blanket was thrown to the floor. He sat up to curse at whoever that was disturbing his sleep.

"You- Huh? W-who're you?" Seungmin can't recognise the lady who woke him up. He turned around to find his club's senior, Jinyoung! _"Why is senior here?! And who's this lady? Where's Jeongin?"_

"Who am I?" The lady glared at him. "Have you been out from home so long that you can't recognise your mother now!" She hit him in the head after shouting at him.

"What're you saying? My mum was de-" He fell quiet when he realised that his room looked different, wait, he can see clearly without wearing any glasses? He looked at his arms and legs, he then noticed the blonde hair on his shoulder. Blonde hair?! 

He jumped out of the bed, pulling at his hair in front of himself to have a better look at it.   
"B-blonde? It's blonde!"

"H-Hyunjin?" The lady asked in concern.

_Hyunjin?_

He saw a full length mirror in the room and rushed to see his reflection. Seungmin was so lost at that moment. He couldn't understand why is his reflection in the mirror is showing Hyunjin.

"I- is this mirror playing a trick?"

"Hyunjin, are you alright?" Jinyoung was standing beside him with a worried expression.

"Are you kidding me? Why do I look like this?" Seungmin asked, pointing at the mirror.

"Hm? I can't see anything wrong except for your puffy eyes. I'll bring you an ice bag." Jinyoung then left the room.

"Oh my god, I want you to move back home today! Look what you've become now. Can't recognise me. Can't even recognise yourself now." The lady sat on the bed with her legs crossed.

"H-home?"

"Of course. You wanna burden Jinyoung for how long? Although he didn't say anything, people still feel uncomfortable when you squat at their house for indefinite period of time." She then walked up to his side.  
"Hyunjin, sigh. Please just come home, alright? Change your clothes and come home with me right now."

"What?"

"We got a family meeting. It's compulsory."

"Bu-"

"Hyunjin, this is an order. If you attend the meeting, I'll let you stay over here until you're legally an adult. Or else, you're coming back home with me today."

"I-I understand." Seungmin doesn't know why but he felt extremely nervous and anxious at the idea of going back home. He wondered if this was a physiological response of Hyunjin's body.

"Good. I'll be waiting in the living room. You have 5 minutes." The lady walked out of the room just as Jinyoung returned with the ice bag.

"Here you go. I guess she's picking you up today, huh. Hey, you alright?" 

"Should I be not alright?" Seungmin asked Jinyoung in confusion. He don't understand what exactly is the big deal of going home.

"Er, ok. I thought you're always panic and fell sick whenever you need to go home."

"What? I did that?"

"Yeah? Are you really sick today? You're acting weird, Hyunnie. I can tell your mum to go back first if you're unwell." Jinyoung put a hand over Seungmin's forehead to measure his body temperature.

Seungmin was shocked. This senior of his is usually really cold and savage in his club but he was now being soft with Hyunjin? This is a first for him.

"Hm? You're heating up a little. I'll grab some panadol for you."

"Wait! I mean I'm fine. It's prob just a cold." Seungmin has always been healthy and never care about insignificant common illness like cough or cold. He usually recover from those within a day. He'd rather hold it out than taking some pills that'll make him drowsy for the day.

"Alright. Let me know if you need something. I'll leave you to change."

"Thanks, su- " Seungmin almost call Jinyoung "senior" but luckily Jinyoung didn't heard it and left him.

Seungmin opened the wardrobe and was amazed to find all the clothes were in black colour.  
"Great. At least I don't need to pick a colour."

There was a box placed at the bottom of the wardrobe. He picked it up and opened it hesitantly. Inside was a pair of ice skates.

_Huh? He skates? This is new. But why does he have to keep it as if he no longer skates now?_

He put the skates back into the box and took out a formal black long-sleeve top, and a pair of pants to change. When he removed his top, he saw his body was covered with bruises and burnt marks, from right below his collarbone, extending down to his waist. He turned around to see multiple burnt marks on his back in the mirror. Some looked rather new while many of them looked like scars, while some new ones lay over the old scars.

_What the hell is this? What have he been doing to himself with those wounds? Definitely not caused by skating though..._

He felt chilled shirtless and quickly covered the wounds with the shirt and buttoned it up to his neck. He wondered if Hyunjin's body was this sensitive to coldness. He decided to ask Hyunjin later about those wounds. 

After he had finished changing, he saw the phone on the bedside at last. He happily picked it up to see a line of text notification: **call me whn u read tis**

He tried to scroll up to read more but the phone was locked. He slided the screen to the left to use the emergency call function when he was being interrupted. 

"Hyunjin, are you done?"

"Y-yeah, coming!"

He followed Hyunijn's mum into the family car. The driver nodded to them before opening the car door. 

"Hyunjin-ah. I know you hate this kind of meeting. But don't you think that you should at least spend some time with your family, huh?"

Seungmin assumed that Hyunjin might not have a good relationship with his family.

"Your brother has been taking care of you so much. He always asks me about how are you know. Since he started working as a doctor, he has always offers free checkup for us, especially you, who have a weak body. I don't get it why did you hate him so much. And your father and I, we are always worry about you since you moved out of the house a year ago. Hyunjin, can you consider moving back with us?"

Seungmin was only able to look at her in disbelief. He couldn't understand why would Hyunjin dislike his family this much when they care about him so much. He did not want to make a rash decision for Hyunjin as he was not sure what exactly happened between him and his family.  
"I-uh. I'll think about it."

The lady finally smiled and said, "Good. At least you're considering it."

The car was stopped in front of the main gate and the driver scanned a card at the card reader. He started driving again when the heavy metallic gates were opened. They passed through a long way of front yard before stopping in front of a mansion. 

Wow. So this is where the rich are living. I wondered why would Hyunjin rather stay at Jinyoung's place than here.

He followed the lady into the mansion. They walked along the corridor before entering into a large dining hall. When the door was opened by the servants, they were greeted by the people who had already arrived for the meeting.

"Welcome back!" A aged man approached and embraced him.

"Oh dear, I told you Hyunjin will come back for this family meeting."

Seungmin assumed that the man must be Hyunjin's father so he greeted him back, "Oh, hi..."  
He felt strange that he had reflexively pulled away from the man's hug and the man had a brief annoyed look.

"Oh, this must be unfamiliar to Hyunjin since he was away for some time now. He'll get used to it with time. Let's move to the table." The lady led them.

Three of them joined in the table that was already seated with other guests. Hyunjin was seated at the end of the table with a young man on his left and another two young men were seated opposite of him. It seemed like the table were split into adults and children setting. There were 10 of them in total.

When he raised he head to look at the the people around him, he was stunned to find Changbin sitting beside him while Han and Minho were opposite of him. Those 3 were from privileged backgrounds as well, who were very closed to Hyunjin at college. Seungmin had no idea that they were related to Hyunjin as cousins.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Han asked Seungmin who had been caught staring at Han.

Seungmin quickly shifted his gaze to the table. But the 3 had picked up his strange behaviour rather quickly. They eyed each other before Minho gently kicked Seungmin under the table and leaned across the table.

"Hey, what's up with you?" Minho whispered.

"Huh? what you mean?" Seungmin tried to feign innocence. 

Changbin suddenly put his arm over Seungmin and said in a low voice, "C'mon, tell us what's you've been up to. You've been acting so strange today, don't you know?"

Seungmin was having cold sweats and his thoughts were racing for backup plans.

"Oh my, look at the kids. They must have lots to catch up." One of the older lady said to the adults.

"We have lots to catch up too." Hyunjin's mum replied.

Seungmin did not know how long did the lunch went for before the kids were allowed to leave the hall. The main conversation that Seungmin can remember was how much those adults were bragging about their children before going on about business. While the kids just focused on the food.

The four of them walked to another room after excusing themselves. As they enter the room, Seungmin saw the wall was filled with awards, ranging from national math competition, to science innovative competition, to international debate conference, and many more. All of them covered a wide range of fields without a focused direction.

_Wow, is he a whole rounder? He is good at everything. But what about skating? Does he compete in that too?_

"Why are you looking at this now?" Han asked him as he was reading the awards one by one.

"Erm, t-the awards. None of them are related to sports." Seungmin tried to find a skating award but failed to do so. 

"Are you kidding me? You hate sports the most. Why would you even join any sports?" 

"What? But-" Then Seungmin thought that Hyunjin might have been keeping the ice skates as a memento.  
"Ah, you're right. I just thought that it's a shame for not having an award for sports."

"Are you serious?" Changbin walked over. "You're so disgusted by any sport, especially skating since your father left, remember?"

"Yah, Changbin." Minho pressed on Changbin's shoulder.

"What? He was the one that told us not to even mention about sports in front of him. But why would he brought that up now?" Changbin protested. 

"Hyunjin, are you feeling unwell? Is it because of Sang Joon?" Han was genuinely concerned about him. 

'Who?"

"Oh lord, he has amnesia, hasn't he? He doesn't even know his brother-" 

"STEPbrother you mean." Minho cut off Changbin.

_He has a stepbrother? Wait, this is getting messy. But it looked like these 3 understand Hyunjin a lot. Could it be his brother? But isn't his stepbrother is a doctor?_

Seungmin was deep in his thought, trying to figure out the puzzling life of Hyunjin.

"Luckily he wasn't able to attend the family lunch just know. Yah, I'm serious. If he ever make you uncomfortable again, you can stay at my place for tonight." Changbin offered.

"Hyung's right. We'll gladly let you in for the night." Han added.

"But you need to attend your Sang Joon's birthday later. Will you be alright? Since it's a closed party for only four of you, we couldn't help you." Minho patted Seungmin's back while consoling him.

"Kids, it's late. Let's go. They still need to prepare for Sang Joon's birthday."

The adults came to picked up the kids. They looked at him and waved him goodbye while Changbin getured a "call me later" signal.

"Alright. Hyunjin, you must be tired. Go and have a rest first in your room. We'll call you later when it's ready." Hyunjin's mum urged him upstairs.

The servant left after showing him his room. He was shocked at the huge contrast between this room and the room back at Jinyoung's place. Here looked cold, and uninhibited while Jinyoung's looked warmer. Except for a king size bed and a wide study table and closet, the large room felt strangely empty. 

He found the landline phone on the study desk and decided to use it to call his own phone. He was certain that they had switched bodies when Hyunjin answered and explained, warning him about his stepbrother. But their call was interrupted by someone before he can ask about the reason for the warning.

"Hey, Hyunjin. Did you missed me?" A tall and strong built guy entered his room.

"Erm, who're you? Shouldn't you knocked first?" Seungmin was a little annoyed by this invaded privacy act.

The guy's face turned dark as he approached him. "Pfft. Are you role-playing or acting as you dunno me, little brother? Since when do I need to knock? Aren't we close enough to ignore all the formalities, Hyunjin?"

_So this is his stepbrother, Sang Joon._

Seungmin remembered Hyunjin's warning and tried to pushed him out, "That's the basic manner and please leav-" He couldn't finish his sentence as he was being thrown to the bed in the very next second.

"What the hell- *Cough*" He tried to escape but he was choked by that guy. And Hyunjin's body is too weak in comparison to this guy, resulting in a great struggle to escape.

"Shh, you should've just obeyed me like usual. You know what happen to a naughty boy, don't you?"

Seungmin glared at him with the realisation of the truth behind Hyunjin's wounds. He started coughing violently as it was getting harder to breathe. He felt the grip got loosen instantly, but his neck was still being held.

"It's nice to know all the medic know-and-how to adjust my strength on you. I had to hide all the pretty wounds at hidden places in the past. But now, I don't have to be so scared of leaving visible wounds around your neck or wrist, since I can just make them disappear in the next day, isn't it convenient, Hyunjin?"

"*Cough* You- You're crazy!"

"Hah! Seems like you've been missing the taste of my punishment. Let's see which to start first. Ah-ha. How about the cigar? I've been missing the smell of it too."

Seungmin had never felt this scared in his life except for the time when he almost lost Jeongin. He tried to escape but felt dizzy suddenly and his body was heating up. He slumped into the bed.

The guy saw this and checked his temperature. "Oh? You have a fever. Poor kid. Don't worry, we'll still have some fun before I treat you. Okay, let's start!"

_F*ck! I should've taken the pills given by Jinyoung. This nut has the nerve to abuse Hyunjin in their home! I need to escape!_

Sang Joon started to unbutton Seungmin's shirt. "We don't want it to get burnt." Then, he grinned as he lit up the cigar in his hand. 

"Argh!"

The cigar landed on one of the old scar right below his collarbone. It was painful, with the sizzling sound of the burning skin can be heard.

"Shh, you should keep you voice low although we have good sound isolation system. Just to make sure," Sang Joon stuffed his mouth with a cloth and taped over it. He tried to fight Sang joon's hands away but Sang Joon gripped on his arm and twisted it at the shoulder.

"Mhm!" The pain felt by Seungmin was intense as he felt his shoulder dislocated.

"Well, if you tried to hit me again, I'll dislocate another one, understand?"

Seungmin nodded weakly with tears flowing down his face.

"Good boy. Let's proceed with this then."

Seungmin almost faint at what Sang Joon was holding now. It was a scalpel. 

"See, I shouldn't be beating you up anymore since now I'm prepin to be a surgeon, my hands are precious to do operation. You'll gladly help me with some practice right, my little brother?"

Hyunjin arrived at the gate to his house but he was declined to access. He got panicked when the old lady who was looking for the seed yesterday appeared behind a tree, not far away from where he was. He left the guardhouse and run towards the old lady. 

"You! You must have some antidote or something! Please, I need to go back to my body right now!"

The lady held out a glass vial containing blue liquid. "Here's the potion that can nullify the effect of the seed. Once you drink it, you guys should be able to return to your own body respectively. But it has a side effect to the drinker. You'll be in a paralysed state for an hour. And there might be unknown long-term effect." 

"Thank you!" Hyunjin took the bottle quickly and removed the cap.

The lady glanced over to the gate that leads to the mansion and asked, "Are you sure this is the right time to return? The effect will be gone by 5am anyway. Why not wait until then and let it subside naturally? Why take the risk?"

Hyunjin looked at the lady in hesitant. But then his wavering gaze was changed to determination. "Because I know exactly how mental abuse even for a day is no lesser or insignificant than the actual physical abuse. I'd rather safe him from having those nightmare." He drank the liquid in a shot.

The lady shook her head with a sigh and took back the empty vial. Hyunjin suddenly felt weak and blackout. The lady placed the body down, and make sure he was leaning on the tree.

"I hope you'll be able to thank him in person later." She placed the vial that now contained a small piece of paper in Seungmin's hand before vanishing.

Just as the scalpel was coming down to his chest, Seungmin got blackout. He was grateful for it as he was partly relieved that he did not have to witness that horrible scene and partly relieved that he wouldn't need to experience the unbearable pain as he was being knocked out.

As he regained his consciousness, the first thing he saw was trees. He was confused as he was just in Hyunjin's room before he went blackout. He tried to rub his eyes but he touched his glasses instead. He took them down and couldn't be happier to see the familiar glasses in his hands again.

_I'm back to my body!_

He looked around and saw the guardhouse to the mansion. He wondered what will happen to Hyunjin now. Then he felt the vial in his hand. He took out the paper that read: **I've switched us back in time. Please forget about everything, HJ**

_F*ck! H-he knew what's going to happen to himself yet he...No, this is none of my business. It's their family's...I need to go back to check on Jeongin..._

Seungmin turned away from the gate but stopped after taking a few steps. He run up to the guardhouse and knocked on the window. The guard opened a slit and yelled, "You again? Scram! You can't come in without appointment! If you don't leave now, I'll have to call the police."

The guard slammed the window shut in Seungmin's face.

_Yes, I should call the police. Wait, what if the family has ties with the police? Whatever, it's better to take the chance. And Jinyoung! I should let him know too._

Seungmin called the police, "Hello, I-I want to report for an attempted murder...Here is....please be fast, the victim is in danger!"  
He then called for a cab to go to Jinyoung's house.

_Please Hyunjin, please be safe!_

He prayed hard as he grip onto that piece of paper tightly in the cab.


	4. DUSK|ꓘƧUꓷ

Seungmin ran through the streets that he remembers when he was in Hyunjin's body. He knocked frantically on the wooden door that looked like it took ages to open. 

"Creak"

"S-Seungmin? How do you know my addre-"

"Jinyoung Sunbae! There's no time for explanation but please, you must go and help Hyunjin now. He's in danger!"

Jinyoung looked at the desperate junior of his, contemplating whether this is a prank. But he decided to check on this situation, since it's considering Hyunjin.

"Let's go."

The duo was racing towards the mansion with Jinyoung driving the car. 

"D-ddu-d-ddu-"

"Hello?"

"Changbin, bring your gang to that mansion and get Hyunjin outta there."

"Got it."

Seungmin can't believe what was going on right before him. He is not even close to his senior but Jinyoung believed him anyway as he mentioned Hyunjin's name. And Changbin too. All of them seemed to be ever ready to "save" Hyunjin. 

_"Has this been occurring regularly that none of them even care to question about the whole scenario?"_  
Seungmin thought to himself.

"Er, will Hyunjin be alright? I-I mean he's going to-"  
Seungmin couldn't finish his sentence as the air in the car drop dead cold with Jinyoung driving the car quietly. For a minute, Seungmin did regretted his decision to meet up with Jinyoung. He could've just send him a text...

They reached the front of the mansion rather fast as the guard recognised Jinyoung. But they were blocked by the servant who was guarding the front door.

"Move!"  
Jinyoung ordered the guard with a threatening voice.

"B-but Ma-madam ordered not to allow visitor...."  
The servant replied in a shaking voice.

"The police are coming. If you wanna spend the night in the cell, you can continue standing here."  
With that, Jinyoung walked straight pass the servant and entered the mansion with Seungmin following him behind. Leaving the confused servant standing beside the opened door, trembling in fear.

Bang!

There were loud noises from the second floor. Jinyoung and Seungmin rushed to the second floor to see Changbin and the gang, together with Hyunjin's mother, stepbrother and stepfather in the room. They must have chased all the other servants out of the second floor, seeing there were no one else but them on the floor.

Changbin was pinning the stepfather on the ground before punching him on the already bruised face. Jisung was sobbing with Hyunjin's mother beside Hyunjin, who was lying unconsciously on the bed. Minho was grabbing the stepbrother by the collar and slammed him on the wall. Things were already heated up before the duo arrived at the scene.

Jinyoung rushed right to Hyunjin to check on him.   
"He has a bad fever. What's goin' on here!"

"H-he *hick* we have already call the ambulance."  
Jisung replied.

"You are just a nasty monster! I should've killed you when I had the chance 5 years ago!"  
Changbin gave the stepfather another punch after spitting the angry words.

"Urgh! Y-you guys have mistaken about this. I swear! It's not as you see! We didn't do anything!"  
The stepfather screamed in panic after taking another blow from Changbin.

"Liar! You, you burned him with cigarette and trying to slice him up!"  
Seungmin pointed at the stepbrother as he yelled.

Minho's eyes flared when he heard Seungmin. The very next moment, the stepbrother was knocked hard at his chin by Minho's punch. The stepbrother almost got knocked out from that blow. Minho was rubbing his fist as he inched closer to the crying stepbrother. 

"Pl-please. You guys got the wrong idea! It's really not us this time! Don't hurt my son, please!"  
The stepfather begged Minho and Changbin.

"This time? Means that it was you too all the time in the past? You guys did hurt Hyunjin in the past?"  
Minho questioned him in deep, threatening voice.

"Welp!"  
The stepfather fell into silence and backed up as he trembled in fear as Changbin started swinging his arm as he warmed up for another punching round.

"Answer me."  
Minho demanded.

"Y-yes! I admit that we did really bad things to him in the past. But I swear it's all in the past! We haven't seen him since he moved out! H-how can we do anything to him? And, I-I really have no idea how he got all these new burnt marks and bruises! I swear with my life!"  
The stepfather blurted out in fear.

"Oh, so you trying to say that he somehow got hurt recently but it's not because of both of you?"  
Changbin summarised what he said in a sarcastic tone.

"He said the truth. It's up to you whether you guys believe it or not. I was petrified when I saw Hyunjin's fresh wounds and he just got all paranoid when I tried to tend to his wounds earlier-"

The stepbrother's words got cut off by Seungmin.  
"Tend? You're holding a scalpel, trying to slice him up!"

"W-what?! No way I'll be doing that! I'm a doctor now. I would never do that! You can check on him if he has any wounds from a scalpel other than those questionable burnt marks."

Seungmin couldn't believe it and pulled off the blanket that was covering Hyunjin. He checked on Hyunjin but he ended up gasping in disbelief. The stepbrother was speaking the truth. If all those was real, by the time they rushed in, he would have enough time to physically hurt Hyunjin. But there was not even a scratch on Hyunjin's torso except for a few fresh burnt marks.

The mother was weeping on the ground beside Hyunjin as she touched the wounds. She can't believe how blinded she was all these times. Her son has been showing her all the signs, asking for help, hinting her that he was being hurt. But she's been brushing them off and warning him to behave and to try and accept his new family. If only she knew what has been happening in Hyunjin's life...

The siren screamed in close distance. Everything happened in a flash. Hyunjin was transported to a hospital. The stepfather and stepbrother were arrested and the whole gang provided their witness statement. 

\-------------------------- CASE CLOSURE -----------------------------------

After a long night. Both of the stepbrother and stepfather confessed to their crimes of child abuse, physical and verbal assaults. The confession process was smooth. As if the two just wanted to get this over quickly and finally get some rest after being beaten for the whole night followed by the endless investigation. 

The investigation and the medical history of Hyunjin concluded that Hyunjin was abused, tortured, and assaulted by the stepfather. The crimes were assisted by the stepbrother. They would tied him up with nylon strings and hung him by the wrists in the air as they whipped him with the belts. Burning him with the lit cigarettes. They used all kind of tortures and abuses on him as their source of entertainment. 

These all happened in the past for 5 years, since when he was still a young child, before Hyunjin finally moved out of the house. But he has then been having psychotic episodes now and then when under stress. He has conducted countless of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) since he escaped from the duo as he was still hunted by the trauma. He will have the delusions of the duo torturing him which led him to NSSI. Hence, those fresh burnt marks were there. The psychiatrist in charge of Hyunjin case diagnosed him with the briefings from his close friends and his doctor in charge who has been prescribing him with antidepressant. Hyunjin was diagnosed with NSSI disorder with the ongoing self-harming, which were the endless stabbing and cutting on his own skin and burning himself with cigarettes.

Even though he has been complaining, Seungmin still came to visit Hyunjin in the hospital whenever he can. Hyunjin has been unconscious for almost a week now. His physical wounds have completely healed. The doctor said it was the traumatic causes of unconsciousness. Hyunjin must have the will to wake up by his own. 

\----------------------------------- RECOVERY ---------------------------------------

He heard muffled voices around him. He tried to open his eyes but was stung by the piercing light. He tried to open his eyes again with a few blinkings. His vision cleared up after a few minutes of focussing on the ceiling light. His body felt heavy as he tried to move his limbs. 

"H-hyunjin?"

A familiar voice was heard.

_Who is it? Why is there so many voices? Where am I?_

His eyes was greeted by a piercing torch light. He got panicked and tried to scream, but a familiar touch met his shoulder, followed by a gentle, soothing voice, calming him down.   
"Hey, hey, it's alright. I'm here with you, Hyunjin."  
He followed the torch movements. He followed every instruction he was given before he was left to rest on the bed.

When his eyes were completely adjusted to the light now, he explored his surroundings. He figured he was in a hospital. And Seungmin was in the room with him.

"Hey, you finally woke up."  
Seungmin greeted him with a smile.  
"You must be trying too hard being the male version of sleeping beauty, huh? Oh no, you're just a sleeping beast. Haha-"

Hyunjin just looked at him blankly. Seungmin got a little nervous.

"Hey, you alright? Are you feeling unwell? Should I get the doc?"

"How long was I out for?"

Seungmin was pouring a glass of warm water for him.  
"Here, drink some of it. You have been unconscious for about a week."

"A w-week? What, what happened?"

Seungmin sat back down on the visitor chair beside Hyunjin.  
"A lot has happened. I'll tell you all of it. But you have to bear with me, Hyunjin, as it's a long story."

"Wait, Seungmin. I need to confess something to you. I, I'm sorry that I encouraged your brother to college. I just-"

"Shhh, it's alright. I know all of it. You left the memo with me, remember? Plus, I have never seen Jeongin this happy to meet me again. He's been excited with all the preparation. So, I thank you for showing me how ignorant and selfish I was."  
He tapped on Hyunjin's hand and said, "Thank you."

Hyunjin's friends and family came to visit from time to time. Hyunjin still need to stay hospitalised for another 2 days for all the follow up check ups. Seungmin stayed the night, slowly explaining the happenings, one by one, to Hyunjin. He explained about his medical conditions and encourage him to attend the therapy sessions. 

Hyunjin was reluctant at first until Seungmin told him how frightened he was when they exchanged bodies. He felt everything so real. He promised to accompany him to the sessions and they would stop if he doesn't want to continue after the first session. Hyunjin finally agreed.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: I am not a professional for conducting diagnosis but I am just writing based on my own research on NSSI online.

If the topic is too heavy/disturbing for you, just know that you can always chat with me or contact helpline or find anyone that you're comfortable to talk with about your feelings/thoughts. 

I will include my research (because I think it's pretty interesting for those who are interested to learn more about it) and the helpline contact.

Helpline (Australia based but everything is pretty much online now so....and you can contact them to learn more about mental disorders, advice, etc.):

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/about-us/contact-us

NSSI Disorder

https://www.msdmanuals.com/en-au/professional/psychiatric-disorders/suicidal-behavior-and-self-injury/nonsuicidal-self-injury-nssi

NSSI Symptoms

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4689421/

Case study – 38 y/o male, severe delusions who self-mutilates

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7343943/

NSSI Treatment (One of them)

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/10/e016220


	5. DAWN|ИWAꓷ

Things has been real tense for the next few days. Everyone tried their best to act as naturally as possible around Hyunjin. But it was hard for them after knowing Hyunjin's medical conditions. They can't help but being extra careful with him. And this has, unfortunately, making Hyunjin feeling more anxious and uncomfortable as well. Hyunjin's doctor has referred him to another psychiatrist who was specialized in NSSI.

It was going to be Hyunjin's birthday soon. Everyone was planning to hold a small party for him. Nichkhun, Shin Young, Inseong and Jeongin were invited as well. Hyunjin got close to them pretty quick since he has met them for a heartwarming night before. Although the other four did not realized about the prior meeting, they felt close to Hyunjin as well. 

Seungmin was discussing about Hyunjin's birthday party with Changbin and the gang in the living room. Hyunjin passed through the living room to the kitchen. They instantly froze. It's the cigarette smell.

"Hyunjin!"

Changbin ran into the kitchen and started flipping Hyunjin's sleeves, expecting to see some new wounds. 

Slap!

"What're you doin!"  
Hyunjin was mad this time. He glared at Changbin for a good second before the rest of the gang circled them. 

"Hey, what's goin on? Hyunjin, you alright?"  
Jisung asked in concern. 

*Sigh*

"Stop this bullshit! Please, I beg you guys. Stop this nonsense! I'm not ok. You guys are suffocating me! Don't treat me like I'm gonna kill myself any sec-"

Slap!

Everyone's was shocked at Jisung's reflex. Hyunjin didn't even bother to looked back up to them.

"You think it's easy for us? We're walking on eggshells around you. We're so scared that we'd hurt you. We-"  
Jisung was sharply cut off by Hyunjin.

"Then stop doin that! Cause I'm already hurting by what you're doin. Just stop this mess since we all are suffering. If you keep looking at me as if I'm a mental patient, I'd rather die."

"Hyun-"

Hyunjin walked straight out of the front door and slammed it hard. 

"I-I didn't mean to hurt h-him."  
Jisung covered his face as Minho patting his back to calm him down.

"Hey, I think we're too conscious about his conditions that we've been neglecting about his feelings and forget that we're supposed to be friends, not some guards. I know it's hard for all of us. The doc told us before that it'll be tough for the caretakers as well. We signed up for this. And we've messed it up. Seungmin, Changbin, can you guys make sure that he's alright. Just stay close enough to make sure he's safe but don't trigger him. We'll find a way that's right for everyone in time."  
Minho advised the gang.

"You're right. Let's go Seungmin."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hyunjin walked aimlessly on the street. Deep down, he knew he shouldn't reacted like that towards his friends. But he's dying inside. He doesn't want to be a burden to anyone. He only hope to live a life that he hasn't got to live when he was younger. Now, everyone sees him as a time ticking bomb, which had irritated him a lot.

"Hey, Hyunjin! It's been awhile since we last seen you. You weren't in school. What's up buddy?"  
Felix and Bang Chan were walking towards him.

"Oh, hi. Yeah. Lots have happened...I think...I'm in a mess right now."  
Hyunjin facepalmed himself after giving a long sigh.

"Hey, we're heading to Mancie for a bite. Wanna join?"  
Bang Chan invited him.

"I-yeah. Why not."

\------------------------------------------------------

"I'll order. Lemon lime bitter for all?"  
Felix asked the gang.   
"Sweet."  
He went to the counter to order after they nodded to the suggestion.

"So, what's been holding you off from school?"  
Bang Chan tapped on Hyunjin's arm.

"Well. Some issues...from home. You know, stuff happens sometimes."

"Okay. Just know that I'm always here to listen when you need someone."

"Thanks, Chan."  
Hyunjin smiled to him. He was glad that his friend did not push him further to know more about the issues.

"Yo, you guys been gossiping without me, huh?"  
Felix returned with a tray holding three drinks and a big basket of fries. 

"Wow, thanks, Lix."  
The duo beamed at the server-friend.

After chatting about school, holidays, and some neighborhood gossips, Hyunjin's phone started ringing. He checked the caller but was reluctant to answer. He liked the current atmosphere. Everything was normal, light, casual. Nothing to serious to deal with. Just a normal friends hangout. But he'll have to deal with his nightmare once he answered the call. The caller was persistent, so was Hyunjin.

"Hey, I think it must be important. If it's unknown caller, let me know and I'll make sure they never ring you again. If it's your friend, they must care a lot about you."  
Bang Chan gave him an assuring smile. 

Hyunjin looked at his friends before giving them a nod.  
"Excuse me."  
He left the table.

"Hyung."

"Hyunjin! What took you so long? I mean are you oka- Erm, I heard what happened between you and Changbin they all. It's kinda messy right now. Everyone seems to be having a hard time adjusting to the new, erm, lifestyle."  
Jinyoung was worried sick when he heard the news from Changbin.

"You mean everyone is having a hard time taking care of my mental health."

"Hyunjin...Jinnie, please. We're worried about you and we made a mistake, sorry. Just know that we do care about you. We will wait for you at home. Whenever you're ready, just know that you can always return to home."

*Sigh*  
"Thanks, Hyung. Ok, I will. You too. Bye."  
Hyunjin ended the call. Instead of heading straight back home, he walked towards the city center, towards his father's apartment, his biological father. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ding Dong!

The door was opened by a middle aged man, who had a shocking expression on his face when he saw Hyunjin.   
"Hy-hyunnie?"

"Dad."  
Hyunjin was almost on the verge of tears when he heard his name being called by his father. He was so happy that his father still call his nickname now. He still has a place in his father's heart. He was glad that his father still remembers him.

He was pulled into an embrace. He had longed for this moment for a long time. He never had the courage to meet his father after the court had decided that his mother will receive the child custody. He thought he was abandoned. He was so scared to face the truth until now. Only now, he realized how much he had missed his father-

"Darling? Who's it?"  
A beautiful woman appeared behind his father. His father released him and turned around to meet the woman.

"Leanne, this is-Hyunjin!"

Hyunjin's smile instantly turned into a sad frown. He pushed away his father and run away from the couple, away from the only place that he thought he could have found some warmth that he has been looking for. But now, he knew he can't do that anymore. A stepmother? No way he would accept any other step parent. At least not after all the trauma he had gotten from his ex-stepfather and ex-stepbrother. He escaped from the echo of his name.

He kept running and running until he fell on his knees on the green grass of an abandoned playground. Large droplets started falling on his knees. At first, he thought that it was the rain until he felt his cheeks were wet with two streams of tears running down his chin. He has been crying. 

Step. A pair of boots showed up in his vision followed by the umbrella hovering above him. He looked up to meet Seungmin's eyes. 

"Thought you need an umbrella."  
Seungmin silently holding the umbrella as Hyunjin blankly looked back at him.

\------------------------------- 30 minutes earlier ----------------------------

Changbin was rushing to his car along with Seungmin. He started the car and drove around the streets as they were looking for Hyunjin. Seungmin was calling Jinyoung to let him know about the situation. 

After the call, they were quiet. 

Seungmin looked at Changbin before asking the question cautiously.  
"Erm, did you guys knew about the abuse long time ago?"

Silent. 

Just as Seungmin was about to give up for getting an answer, Changbin spoke.

"He was always hiding away his pains. He's been that high spirited, carefree. But, we did noticed something different about him when we're about 13 then. There were times he kinda spaced out. But whenever we approached him, he would turned back to that bright, all smiley kid again."

Changbin shifted uneasily in his seat before he continued.  
"Then, one day, I went to his house, unplanned. Jisung accidentally left his phone in their house so I need to go back to retrieve it. I went to the living room, but I heard noises from the second floor. I knew I wasn't supposed to wander around people's house but I got curious. Because, I heard cries. Those cries that sounds like they were made by wounded animals. I went upstairs and-"  
He inhaled sharply.

"I lost my mind and sanity in that instant the scene filled my vision. I just remembered going rampant. There were blood everywhere. My knuckles hurt so much that I was clenching my teeth. But at the same time, I felt so numb as well."

Seungmin didn't know what to say. He contemplated for awhile before asking, "So, what stopped you 5 years ago?"

*Sigh*   
"A pure soul. A pair of small hands were holding on to my clenched fist. A weak, shaky voice was pleading me to stop. He hugged me with all the strength he had left. He told me that everything was going to be alright. Somehow, in the midst of all the havoc, those fragile things were the ones that calmed me down and brought me back to my sanity."

Changbin's eyes went red as he continued.  
"I looked at the kid, covered in wounds and blood, the once bright, all smiley kid. Still having his smile with his chafed lips on that scrapped face. I asked him why did he stopped me. He just shook his head and pulled me outside of the room, closing the door to the two monsters who were lying inside, unconscious."

Changbin's eyes lit up as he smiled.  
"I will always remembered what the kid told me that night. He said, 'Using violence against violence is not always the right way. It might brings more harm than good. And, being on the upper hand now doesn't change the fact that he was once the victim. We shouldn't inflict our pain on others when we knew the pain so well by ourselves.' That's what he said, and the only words that went through my blocked head that night."

Changbin tightened his grips on the wheel.   
"He just hugged me until I had completely calm down. Then, he brought a warm towel and wiped away the blood on my fists, before I could even look at his wounds. He's that kind of person. That soft and kind, tending to others' wounds but making his own wounds wait. He told me that, I don't have to be like them. I'm better than that. And he trusts me."

Changbin finally exhaled in relief. He gave Seungmin a quick glimpse before looking back ahead on the road again.

"That's what made me stopped 5 years ago. That's what saved me 5 years ago. And now, I wish I could do the same for him."

Seungmin turned back to stare on the road. He can only nod along. He had not expected that was what actually happened back then. 

\---------------------------------------- Present ----------------------------------------

The rain brutally pouring on them with no mercy. The time seemed to have halted for the duo in the abandoned playground. 

In the cold hard rain, drenched in the wet clothes, Hyunjin felt nothing, he can't hear anything but the rain, he couldn't say anything, just staring at Seungmin. 

In that downpour, holding the big, wide umbrella, Seungmin said nothing, he can't hear anything but Hyunjin's silent cries, he didn't say anything, just being there for Hyunjin.

After sometime, the downpour turned into a drizzle. The standstill picture started to move. Hyunjin moved his vision to the ground. He started trembling in cold.

Seungmin removed his jacket to wrapped it around Hyunjin. As he squatted in front of Hyunjin, he broke the silence between them.

"Let's go home. Hmm?"

Hyunjin's head sprung up at the word "home". He looked at him with his teary eyes. Changbin approached them from the carpark. 

"Hey, kiddo. It's time for you to trust us, right? Will you believe me just as you did 5 years ago?"  
Changbin extended his hand towards Hyunjin. 

Hyunjin stared at the hand for awhile. A smile, the very same smile that was on the young boy has reappeared. He reached for the hand. 

The trio headed to the car, arms over the shoulders. They went back home that day when the rain stopped, the clouds cleared, the shy rainbow shot across their way back home. They admired the scenery during their journey back to home, together.

\---------------------------- One Week Later -------------------------------

"Go away! Stop! I don't want it! Don't come any closer!"  
Hyunjin was holding a steak knife in his hand as he ran to his room hysterically. 

Seungmin ran after him. 

"Hey, Hyunjin. It's me, Seungmin."

"S-Seungmin? Seungmin! They're here! They here! They goin to harm me! They- Argh! Go away!"

"Hyunjin, who're here?"

"The monsters! Th-the ones who burn me- Hugh! They're coming after me!"

"Hyunjin, Hyunnie. I know it must be frightening for you. But I'm here to help. I'm here for you, okay? You're not alone."  
Seungmin slowly approached him as Hyunjin calmed down a bit.

"Y-you're here to help?"

"Yes. Is that alright?"

Hyunjin slowly nodded. His hand holding the knife was relaxed before it was hung limply on his side.

"You're safe, Hyunnie. Do you want to have a seat with me? I'm here to listen."   
Seungmin slowly sat on the bed, all the time, keeping his hands on his front where Hyunjin can see them so that he feels safe. 

Hyunjin followed Seungmin and sat on the bed.

"Is it alright to pass me the knife, Hyunnie? It's alright. I'll just put that away so that we can talk more comfortably. See, it's just me and you here. We're alright. We don't need that."

Hyunjin slowly passed the knife to Seungmin. Seungmin made sure not to make any sudden move as he slowly placed the knife far away from their reach.

"You're sweating a lot. Do you want to drink some water?"

Hyunjin nodded. Seungmin poured a glass of water from the bedside table for him. He downed the whole glass before choking on it. 

*Cough*

Seungmin took the glass away before patting his back.  
"Hey, hey, slow down. Here, feeling better?"

Hyunjin's coughing stopped. He looked at Seungmin and blinked for a few times.  
"Seungmin? I-I'm sorry. I just- *cough*"

"It's alright. Take your time, Hyunnie. We have time. There's no need to rush."  
Seungmin continued to pat his back to soothe his coughing.

Hyunjin's condition got better with the medications and the therapy sessions. His friends were learning how to cope with his psychotic episodes, reducing the relapse and the occurrence of NSSI. Hyunjin was doing his best, adhering to the scheduled routine, taking his meds diligently and learning to cope with his condition.

There's no magic or miracle that makes everything alright overnight, but things were definitely getting better as each of them making small improvement with every baby steps they took.

\------------------------------- One Ordinary Day --------------------------

"Changbin! Get that door!"  
Jisung yelled across the room as he was playing online game with Minho, Jinyoung, Felix, and Chan. 

"Why! Why is it always me!"  
Changbin complained as usual but get the door anyway.

"Surprise!"  
The guests greeted with a handful of homemade food.

"Wow, I'll help take those. Come in!"  
Changbin took over a huge tupperware of fermented kimchi while making way for the guests to enter the house.  
"Look who's here. Hyunjin! Seungmin! We have guests!"

Hyunjin and Seungmin ran downstairs to meet the incomers. 

"Dad!"  
Hyunjin jump-hugged his father at first sight. 

"Hahaha. Hey, buddy. How're you?"  
His father hugged him back.  
"Leanne brought you some homemade mooncakes and dumplings."

Hyunjin finally released his father and turned to meet Leanne, his father's current wife.  
"Hi, mhm....Aunt. Thank you for the food. I miss those a bunch. It's been awhile since I had those...Thank you."

"Awh~ Don't mention it. Just tell me what else you miss. Aunty will make them for you."  
Leanne smiled as her efforts were appreciated. She was glad that the boy liked them.

"Aunt Shin Young? Why did you guys tag along? The house don't have enough space for such a big party!"  
Seungmin complained as soon as he saw Jeongin, and his friends, Inseong and Nickhun were there as well as Hyunjin's friends, Mina, Minju, and Chani. He hugged Shin Young and Nickhun as they met and fist bumped the rest. 

Hyunjin were happy to see his friends and family too.

"There is enough room! What're you complaining, Seungminnie!"  
Jisung yelled across the room as he dashed to the food before putting a few dumplings into his mouth.

"Yeah! What do you mean by not enough room? Say no more in front of food!"  
Changbin joined Jisung real quick on the food. 

"Let the party starts!"  
Shin Young popped off a sparkling wine, and Chan and Chani turned on the music, marking the start of the whole night party in the house.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The whole gang had decided to moved into a house together as they entered university, with Jinyoung as the chief tenant. Jeongin finally got to moved into the dorm of his dream college, studying the course that he had always wanted. He won the top achiever award on his first year, which had brought tears of joy for the gang, most importantly, it was meaningful to Seungmin.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hyunjin's father went back to find him the day after his first encounter with Leanne. His father explained to him that he had missed Hyunjin too. He told him that Leanne had always wanted to meet him as he had been telling Hyunjin's stories to her. And he will respect Hyunjin's choice. 

Hyunjin decided to embrace the family that he had missed out in his early childhood. Leanne was very sweet to him and she had never pressured him on accepting her. She allowed him to go along with his own pace, which Hyunjin had been very grateful for.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

On the ice skating rink. There were only a few people skating as it was a weekday.

A young but confident boy skated with high speed before braking just in time, a few inches before hitting the wall. 

"Hey, Hyunjin. Welcome back on ice!"  
His father smiled brightly as he patted on his son's shoulder.

Hyunjin smiled back. This time, the smile stayed for a long, long time on that boy's face.

~ And Life Goes On ~

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Yay! Finally, the story is completed. This chapter is much longer as I want the story to have a proper closure. 

Mental health has always been stressful for the person themselves and the same goes for those who are taking care/around them. So, don't forget to take care of yourselves!

Life can be tough sometimes, but never forget that you're not alone! There're millions of people around the globe and there will definitely be, at least, another person who can understand you and share the same feelings and thoughts with you. It's okay to be down sometimes, but don't dwell on it for too long that you forget to continue to move on.

I hope everyone has a great time reading the story! 


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